President Donald Trump said on Aug. 18 that the United States was not holding negotiations with Iran and that the U.S. military continued to enforce its naval blockade against the regime.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote in a Tuesday statement on Truth Social. “The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”
The president’s statement came after the 60-day negotiating window established under the memorandum of understanding that was signed by the United States and Iran on June 17. The two countries had agreed to reach a final peace deal within 60 days. However, the memorandum of understanding allowed for an extension of the 60-day deadline if both countries mutually agreed to it.
Asked about the expiration of the memorandum of understanding and the state of negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program on Aug. 17, Trump told reporters, “Well, they want to make a deal, but they’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary.”
Trump added that the United States took action against Iran for one reason: because Tehran could not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that he was not seeking an extension of the memorandum of understanding with Iran.
U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner told Fox News on Aug. 17 that the United States was “having very positive and active conversations” with Iran.
“The conversations between the U.S. government and different areas of the Iranian government [in] all areas [are] probably more robust than [they’ve] maybe ever been,” he said.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump reiterated his administration’s position that the “number one goal” was to ensure that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon.
While Trump said on Aug. 18 that the Strait of Hormuz was open and operational, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, said the key waterway was still closed. He maintained on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States met conditions outlined in the June memorandum of understanding.
Qalibaf told Iran’s parliament that the conditions included the United States ending military operations in Iran, ending the naval blockade of Iranian ports, removing oil sanctions, and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Trump said on Monday that the United States had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz with its naval blockade. The president also said he liked the idea of declaring the strait a U.S. territory.
On Tuesday, Trump shared an image of a map on Truth Social that labeled the Strait of Hormuz as a “new U.S. territory.”
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi quickly responded to Trump’s Truth Social post in a statement on X.
“Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man,” he wrote.
The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran collapsed in early July after Iran attacked multiple commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States responded by reinstating its naval blockade of Iranian ports and launching strikes against the regime, including 13 consecutive days of military strikes.
As of Aug. 17, the U.S. military had redirected 64 commercial vessels, disabled three ships, and boarded two others going to or from Iran to ensure compliance with the naval blockade, according to U.S. Central Command.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Aug. 13 that the U.S. military could continue to enforce its naval blockade of Iranian ports for as long as needed.
“We can hold it as long as we need to,” he said. “Indefinitely, the United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have and we’ll continue to.”
Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that negotiations with Oman to establish a new maritime route in the Strait of Hormuz had entered the final stages. However, the regime said the strait would not be reopened unless the United States agreed to its demands.
In an interview with Fox News on Aug. 17, Trump warned that the United States could bomb Oman if it “gets in the way.”
